FAS

Journal of Defense Research, 1969-1978

07.06.10 | 1 min read | Text by Steven Aftergood

The Journal of Defense Research (JDR) was a classified publication sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to encourage dissemination of classified research on topics of military or national security interest.  It began publication in 1969, replacing the former Journal of Missile Defense Research.

Many years later, most of the Journal’s contents still seem to be classified, but the table of contents of the Journal’s first decade (pdf) has been declassified and is now available on the Federation of American Scientists website.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of the names of the authors whose work was published in JDR are unfamiliar, with a few exceptions (e.g., Garwin and Augustine; Hugh Everett’s name does not appear).  The topics of the papers provide a snapshot of the technologies and the strategic concerns of the time, and give an indication of the scale of classified government research that was devoted to addressing them.

“The JDR is ‘mission essential’ as a classified research tool,” a Defense Science Board Task Force (pdf) stated in 1985.  “Being the only classified journal of its type, the JDR is used to communicate ideas amongst the defense community and is a basic tool for researchers.”

Update: Additional JDR index material is available here.

publications
See all publications
State & Local Innovation
day one project
Policy Memo
Coloradans Should Require Data Center Measurements They Can Trust

Only through independent monitoring, reporting, and investigation on data centers’ environmental impacts, can we promote public trust, inform the allocation of natural resources, and enable responsible governance on future data center development.

08.26.26 | 12 min read
read more
Emerging Technology
day one project
Policy Memo
Establishing the Colorado Applied AI Workforce Initiative

Jobseekers, employees at smaller organizations, and local public workers need more than a weekend crash course in AI. They need practice choosing useful tasks, protecting data, testing outputs, and explaining where human judgment remains necessary.

08.26.26 | 8 min read
read more
State & Local Innovation
day one project
Policy Memo
How to Plan for Future Generations of Colorado Business Owners

The Colorado Succession Through Apprenticeship Program would turn two problems into one solution: a state-coordinated pipeline that trains graduates to evaluate and operate existing businesses, then connects them to owners ready to show them the ropes and eventually hand over the keys.

08.25.26 | 8 min read
read more
State & Local Innovation
day one project
Policy Memo
Modernizing Permitting to Lower Housing and Construction Costs

Colorado ranks second-to-last in housing affordability. Blame Colorado’s notoriously slow permitting system. It’s time for an upgrade.

08.25.26 | 10 min read
read more